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PostPosted: Wed Feb 24, 2010 8:35 pm 
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Well, my 1/2 inch timberwolf bandsaw blade was dinged up during our move a couple of years ago and though I was repayed for the damage (bent teeth and kinked....) I didn't get around to replacing it until this week because I have a 3/8 inch and 3/4 inch blade.

I decided to give highlandwoodworking's ultra-thin "wood slicer" brand of blade a try because it got some nice reviews in a article I read a while ago in a WW'ing mag.

The blade arrived today in a flat-rate USPS box. The blade was completely wrapped in a piece of paper to protect it and was coiled in the box along with a receipt and an instruction page

Image
I set by 14 inch craftsman up as I normally do with my 3/4 inch timberworlf blade and made sure to tension the blade as the instructions showed. I then tested the saw for drift with a 24 inch piece of 3/4 MDF. As you can see in this picture I had to shim my fence to the right about 1/2 inch from the front of the fence to the rear.

Image

I then did a "conservative" cut on a piece of maple.... the saw cut like a hot knife through butter and created a very smooth and consistantly thick piece of wood which after a quick smooth through the drum sander will be 1/32 thick
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I then decided to see how thin I could go.... again, this cut ended up smooth and extremely consistant across the entire cut. It is worth noting that I did not joint the board again before making this cut... a jointed face would have allowed me an even closer cut than this.
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here is the opposite end of the cut
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I can't say how much of this was a result of taking an extra 15 minutes to really set up my saw before the cut, how much was the result of the blade being brand new and sharp, and how much had to do with this being a better blade for this resaw. For other cuts I will still use timberwolf blades, but I know that the next time I have some thin veneer to cut (coming soon actually for some door panel veneers) I'll reach for the woodslicer first.
Image

Thanks for looking, just thought I'd share how nice this blade cuts.
Lawrence


Last edited by Lawrence on Wed Feb 24, 2010 10:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Wed Feb 24, 2010 8:42 pm 
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Nice blade. I'm even more impressed that you have bookcases and a big screen TV in your shop. You really know how to live :-D


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PostPosted: Wed Feb 24, 2010 11:58 pm 
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Yep, I bought one last year and am really happy with it.


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PostPosted: Wed Feb 24, 2010 11:59 pm 
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I liked the wood slicer it truly did what reported. buts its longevity is somewhat less then what would would want. I agree it is a sharp blade and makes very thins cuts when new, It did great work but once it was pau it was pau.

I''l pay more for carbide loose some wood but the blade in the end lasts longer and cuts better without wandering.

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PostPosted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 7:27 am 
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Just like butter


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PostPosted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 7:37 am 
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Nice cuts. :) Interesting resaw fence also. Since we have the same saw, I'm curious about your shimming. Wasn't able to make out a shim in the fence area, so was wondering if you did the same as I do and shim out one end of the fence rail?

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PostPosted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 8:29 am 
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I'm with Mango on this one. It cuts fabulously until it dulls. It has little to no set on the teeth (can't remember which) so while you have a small kerf, it dulls quickly. Personally I found the cost of the blade was not worth the life you got out of the blade. It's good for cutting small pieces so you don't get quite so much heat buildup, but try to avoid doing resaws of large stock or the blade will dull in no time. I went through several blades resawing canarywood for a credenza I made once.

peter


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PostPosted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 8:39 am 
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being honest Gene, I kept it simple.... if you look at the second pic you can see the 2 black knobs which attach the screws which hold the aluminum fence to the fence guide. I have a couple of washers (I can't remember whether they came with the fence or not) that I keep on the screws all the time and can use to shim the fence a pretty good ways and still have support. In the pic you can see that I have no washers between guide and fence in the front, and two washers in the rear post which move the fence (a lot). Because my auxillary fence has such a large (wide) bottom face which resists racking, I haven't had any problem with the fence being supported on such a small references (the washers)-- however I built the fence to accommodate clamps both on the sides (C clamps allow more room than the quick clamps shown) and on the bottom (so I can clamp it to both the factory fence first for adjustment and then to the bandsaw table if needed to stiffen it) I have not needed to use the bottom clamps yet, this was just a precaution I designed into the aux. fence.

Hope this helps and wasn't too wordy
Lawrence

ps- I'll keep everyone updated on the longivity of this blade... the comments on quick dulling of course concern me and I appreciate the input.


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PostPosted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 9:03 am 
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Lawrence wrote:
being honest Gene, I kept it simple.... if you look at the second pic you can see the 2 black knobs which attach the screws which hold the aluminum fence to the fence guide. I have a couple of washers (I can't remember whether they came with the fence or not) that I keep on the screws all the time and can use to shim the fence a pretty good ways and still have support. In the pic you can see that I have no washers between guide and fence in the front, and two washers in the rear post which move the fence (a lot). Because my auxillary fence has such a large (wide) bottom face which resists racking, I haven't had any problem with the fence being supported on such a small references (the washers)-- however I built the fence to accommodate clamps both on the sides (C clamps allow more room than the quick clamps shown) and on the bottom (so I can clamp it to both the factory fence first for adjustment and then to the bandsaw table if needed to stiffen it) I have not needed to use the bottom clamps yet, this was just a precaution I designed into the aux. fence.

Hope this helps and wasn't too wordy
Lawrence

ps- I'll keep everyone updated on the longivity of this blade... the comments on quick dulling of course concern me and I appreciate the input.


Ok. I didn't much care for using the washer method on mine. Seemed to cause more problems than it solved (changes vertical alignment some, which with my resaw fence that attaches directly to the stock fence, caused wedgie problems). Which is why I switched to using the rail to mitigate any toe in/out. Your style of aux fence would obviously bypass that vertical alignment issue. Thanks. :)

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 Post subject: Wood slicer?
PostPosted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 9:55 am 
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A humble question:
What is so special with the blade? What does the tricK? Is it the thickness of the blade? Tooth point hardened? Shape of or angels of teeth?
I have done similar cuts down to 1/8´ or 3,5 mm cherry with a 1´wide bandsawblade and a high shop made support similar to the one shown in photos. That worked fine, took a bit of time as the log was 7´thick.
I havent heard ´heard of a special veneer ripping blade here in Sweden but that said, Im not an expert either.
/Anders


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 Post subject: Re: Wood slicer?
PostPosted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 10:16 am 
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andersjustincase wrote:
A humble question:
What is so special with the blade? What does the tricK? Is it the thickness of the blade? Tooth point hardened? Shape of or angels of teeth?
I have done similar cuts down to 1/8´ or 3,5 mm cherry with a 1´wide bandsawblade and a high shop made support similar to the one shown in photos. That worked fine, took a bit of time as the log was 7´thick.
I havent heard ´heard of a special veneer ripping blade here in Sweden but that said, Im not an expert either.
/Anders


Timberwolf sells a veneer blade if you are in need of one. http://www.suffolkmachinery.com/default.asp


THE AS-S (Alternate Set Special): This blade is only available in 3/4" x 3tpi. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it is only .025 thick with a unique set pattern. This blade also utilizes the unique geometry of our PC tooth. The total overall kerf is .048. This blade is specifically designed for straight-line veneer cutting. When you are resawing very expensive woods that are thick and you want as thin a kerf as possible, a super finish, and you are not concerned with speed, this is the blade for you.

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PostPosted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 10:17 am 
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It's not terribly "special" methinks--just a well made blade. It also rated very well in a recent review where they tested 19 blades. This was very influential in my decision.

from Fine woodorkig
"With our tests giving it a grade of excellent in both speed and smoothness, and a grade of very good in barreling, the Wood Slicer blade
from Highland Hardware was our choice for the best all-around performer. A $30 price tag makes it one of the more expensive
resaw blades we tested, but anyone looking for fast and smooth cuts won’t be disappointed."

They tested 19 blades and it was overall their best-- one factor they did not test though is longevity and I do hope it is better than some here have said.

From the highland woodworking website-here is why the blade resaws well.... (inset grain of salt here)

"Our famous Wood Slicer bandsaw blade cuts smoother and quieter than any other resawing blade on the market. Its outstanding performance is due to its 3-4 tpi variable tooth pitch design, in which uneven spacing between the teeth nearly eliminates vibration during a cut. The Wood Slicer's tooth pattern damps harmonic resonance extremely effectively; the result is superlatively smooth cuts and much, much quieter operation than ordinary bandsaw blades. In tests here at the store, our Wood Slicer averaged 8 decibels quieter than a popular brand-name 1/2", 3-tooth blade cutting 2" walnut, and 14dB quieter in 6" walnut. Since noise intensity is halved with each 3dB decrease in sound level, our Wood Slicer Bandsaw Blades will subject your ears to no more than 1/4 of the sound intensity of the noisier blade, and at best can reduce nose intensity to less than 1/16 of what you might usually endure. Unless you're actually fond of listening to a bandsaw blade scream though thick stock, our blade design will be the best you've ever heard on your bandsaw.

Quality of cut is simply fabulous. Resawn surfaces are extraordinarily smooth, with few torn or broken fibers and nearly invisible tooth marks. Testing the blades here at the store, we've produced 9" wide veneers no thicker than 1/32", clean enough for glue-up and ready to begin sanding at 100 grit. We've never seen a resawing bandsaw blade cut this smoothly, and we're willing to bet you haven't either.

SHARPER
Our manufacturer has developed exclusive sharpening technology that gives Wood Slicers the sharpest teeth in the industry. Their highly precise grinding process leaves a crisp, burr-free tooth with clean, smooth gullets that transport waste efficiently and resist resin build-up. You'll cut any stock, regardless of its hardness, faster and more easily than you've ever done before. The Wood Slicer you buy will be just as sharp as it was in the factory; finished bandsaw blades are individually wrapped to avoid damage during handling on the way to your shop.

HARDER
Wood Slicer teeth are phenominally hard, with a Rockwell no. of Rc65-67, as hard as the edge of a fine Japanese chisel. After sharpening and setting, Slicers are sent through a high-speed, ultra-high voltage precision impulse hardening system which treats the face and cutting edges of each tooth without allowing hardening to extend into the gullet, which would create a potential source of fatigue failure.

STRONGER
The Wood Slicer's 1/2" wide carbon-manganese spring steel bodies have twice the tensile strength of conventional 1/2" bandsaw blades, and they're much harder as well. Our blade's strength is complemented by the extraordinary quality of its weld. State-of-the-art flash butt upset welding produces a quenched and tempered metallurgical structure identical to the rest of the blade--no softer, no harder, and no more prone to failure. The technique is so effective that all Wood Slicer Bandsaw Blades are unconditionally guaranteed against breakage at the weld.

THINNER
High strength blades let us specify band thickness of just .022", 12% thinner than usual, without sacrificing the stiffness and beam strength required for clean, accurate resawing. Set angle is absolutely minimal, and total kerf width is barely 1/32".(Due to the blades' minimal set the WoodSlicer® is not recommended for cutting green wood) This means you waste about half as much wood as with a regular bandsaw blade, and you demand half as much work from your bandsaw, which gives you less back pressure, faster feed rates, and lower impact on thrust bearings and lateral guides. Slicers' rear edges are rounded and polished, extending the life of your thrust bearings and eliminating a potential source of fatigue cracks. Precise setting, polishing and rounding the back not only make for smoother cuts; they also nearly eliminate blade lead, making it easier and faster to set up your fence for straight, accurate resawing in any material thickness."

Lawrence


Last edited by Lawrence on Sat Feb 27, 2010 10:20 am, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 10:18 am 
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